At a recent meeting of the City Technical Committee, chaired by Very Rev. Father Murphy, an important communication to the Department regarding the knitting industry in the city was discussed. The committee had sent this communication two weeks prior but had received no reply. The Chief Secretary had addressed the matter in response to a question from the Mayor of Limerick, which raised concerns among the committee members.
The Chairman expressed surprise and disappointment at the Department’s lack of response. He believed that a public body like the committee had the right to be informed promptly about the Department’s decisions. The committee felt strongly about protecting the valuable and growing knitting industry from potential harm. The actions of the Department shed light on the reasons why it lacked popularity in the country.
An Inspector had halted their classes and disrupted their timetable, and the committee questioned the Inspector’s qualifications for such actions. The Chief Secretary defended the Inspector, stating her qualifications in lace design and needlework. However, the committee argued that their teacher, Mr Frith, held similar qualifications and wondered if he would be assigned a similar inspection role.
The Department claimed satisfaction with the report, but the committee felt that their concerns and evidence were not adequately considered. They had collected evidence from local business houses, but the Department showed little regard for it. This treatment demonstrated the Department’s contempt for public bodies like theirs, established by the same authority—an Act of Parliament—as the Department itself.
The Chairman hoped that the matter would not be left unaddressed and urged the committee to keep it in the public eye until the Department acknowledged their concerns. Other committee members agreed, and a resolution was proposed and adopted. The resolution criticized the Department’s discourtesy and lack of communication and expressed amazement at their inability to provide qualifications for the Inspector’s role. It also condemned the Department’s acceptance of the report without investigating the committee’s protest.
The committee decided to forward the resolution to various relevant parties, including Alderman Joyce, the Technical Department, the Chief Secretary (now resigned), and other technical committees in Ireland. The meeting highlighted the need for accountability and transparency in government decisions to prevent waste of public resources.
Limerick Echo – Tuesday 07 March 1905
